06.11.2026 23:31
At the UAE-backed "Joy Dress 3" mass wedding in Gaza, 250 Palestinian couples tied the knot among the rubble of destroyed buildings and tents. In the organization, which received 11,622 applications, one of the grooms selected by lottery said he had lost his mother in the war, while another said they would start their married life in a tent.
In the Gaza Strip, where Israel has continued its attacks since October 2023 and where widespread destruction, forced displacement, and a severe humanitarian crisis are occurring, 250 Palestinian couples got married in a mass wedding ceremony held despite the pain of losing their homes and relatives.
On the coastal road of Gaza City, passing among the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli attacks and the tents where displaced Palestinians have taken shelter, the wedding convoy made up of dozens of vehicles decorated with Palestinian flags, flowers, and red ribbons reached the ceremony venue at the Sea Club on the seafront.
The 250 grooms participating in the mass wedding called "Dress of Joy 3" took their places at the ceremony venue in their suits, and the 250 brides in white wedding dresses adorned with colorful Palestinian embroidery. The brides, wearing gold-colored decorative headpieces, using traditional embroidered covers, and carrying bouquets of flowers, shared their joy at the ceremony held with the participation of their families.
The wedding, held amid the destruction and displacement caused by Israeli attacks that have continued in Gaza for years, turned into a gathering of hope and solidarity for Palestinian young people who have lost their homes, lost family members, and are trying to build their new lives without shelter.
The organization, held by the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) "Al-Faris Al-Shahm 3 Operation Support Committee" with the support of the Sakr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, aims to support young people who have difficulty marrying due to the harsh living conditions in Gaza.
THIS JOY BELONGS TO ALL OF GAZA
Palestinian groom Said al-Najjar, who participated in the mass wedding, recounted that his family's home was destroyed in Israeli bombardment and that they had to live in a tent they set up near the Yellow Line in Jabalia Refugee Camp.
Najjar, who earned the right to participate in the wedding through the lottery organized by the organization committee, said in a statement to an AA reporter, "This joy is not only that of one groom or 250 grooms, but the joy of all the people of Gaza."
Noting that many Palestinians lost their homes in Israeli attacks and were forced to live in tents, Najjar stated that he too had no other place to shelter.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue to live in tents and temporary shelter centers because their homes were destroyed or severely damaged in Israeli attacks. In the region, where basic services and living conditions are inadequate, there are serious difficulties in access to shelter, food, clean water, and health services.
HE FELT HIS MOTHER'S ABSENCE AT HIS WEDDING
Palestinian groom Munir al-Tatari, who participated in the mass wedding, tried to experience the joy of the wedding despite losing his mother and many members of his family in the war and despite his family's home being destroyed in Israeli attacks.
Tatari, stating that he very much wished his mother could be by his side on this important day of his life, said, "Despite the blockade and war in Gaza, we will rejoice and give hope to our hearts again."
Tatari, conveying that they had a house before the attacks but that this house was destroyed in Israeli attacks, expressed that he also lost his mother and longed for her to be by his side at his wedding.
HE WILL START HIS MARRIED LIFE IN A TENT
Groom Mohammed Quwaidir said that after losing his home in Israeli attacks, he did not have the financial means to rent or buy a new housing unit, and therefore he would start his married life in a tent.
Quwaidir noted that rising prices and living costs in Gaza have made marriage even more difficult for Palestinian young people.
To the question of where he and his wife would live after the wedding, Quwaidir replied, "We will live in a tent."
He noted that the mass wedding organization offered him and 249 other grooms the opportunity to celebrate their marriages and begin building a new life despite the harsh conditions of the attacks.
11,622 PEOPLE APPLIED
According to data announced by the organization committee, 11,622 people applied to participate in the "Dress of Joy 3" mass wedding.
After the registration and evaluation stages, 1,335 people who met the necessary conditions earned the right to participate in the final lottery. The 250 grooms selected in the lottery got married with 250 brides in the mass wedding ceremony.
Mohammed Erbi, President of the UAE's Al-Faris Al-Shahm 3 Operation Support Committee, also said that the mass wedding of 500 people was a humanitarian picture reflecting the will to live despite years of war and suffering.
Erbi, noting that the initiative carries the message of giving hope to Palestinian young people and helping them establish families, stated that the organization showed that life continues despite the severe humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
After the attacks Israel launched in October 2023, more than 74,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip lost their lives and more than 175,000 people were injured. The attacks caused widespread destruction in residential areas in the region, displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and deepening the humanitarian crisis.